Celebrating photography beneath the surface of oceans, lakes, rivers and even swimming pools, the Underwater Photographer of the Year contest has announced this year’s amazing winning entries.
With “Whales Bones,” an emotive photograph showing a free-diver examining the aftermath of whaling under Greenland’s ice, Swedish photographer Alex Dawson was named Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024.
Prizes and commendations were awarded in 13 categories including Wide Angle, Macro, Behavior, Portrait, Black & White, Compact, and Up & Coming among others.
‘Whale Bones’ won over 6,500 underwater pictures entered from around the world. The image “was photographed in the toughest conditions,” explains Alex Mustard, chair of judging panel. “A breath-hold diver descends below the Greenland ice sheet to bear witness to the carcasses. The composition invites us to consider our impact on the great creatures of this planet.
Since the rise of humans, wild animals have declined by 85%. Today, just four percent of mammals are wildlife, the remaining 96% are humans and our livestock. Our way needs to change to find a balance with nature.”
UPY2024 results are now available to view in the Winners' gallery, and the complete collection is available to download and keep in the free Yearbook.
This image was taken in the toughest conditions as a breath-holding diver descends below the Greenland ice sheet to bear witness to slaughtered whales.
In eastern Greenland, local hunters bring their catch and share it among each other. From a stable population of more than 100,000 minke whales in the North Atlantic, the hunters of Tasiilaq typically take about a dozen.
The whale is hauled up on the beach during high tide and many families gather to cut the skin, blubber and the meat at low tide. Almost the entire whale is consumed. However, the skeleton is pulled back into the sea by the next high tide and the remains can be found in shallow waters where various marine invertebrates and fish pick the bones clean.
A pod of Atlantic Spotted Dolphins swimming wild and free in the Bahamas.
“Over the last three years I have travelled to Bimini where a resident population is known for their playfulness with freedivers,” Remuna Beca explains. “They are incredibly fast and acrobatic, making most encounters high-energy and unpredictable, which can be challenging to photograph. I wanted to create an image that captured their playful spirit and the serene beauty of seeing them in the wild.”
In 2011, the Bahamas declared its waters a "shark sanctuary." At dusk, several dozen lemon sharks rose from the depths and surround the dive boat. “Perched on the swim-step with my body half-submerged, I set out to take split shots,” Rodolphe Guignard
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